


Surprises Are Best Kept A Secret

by Skylin3



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Birthday, F/M, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, Surprises, shumako
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:27:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23789314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skylin3/pseuds/Skylin3
Summary: Saying goodbye was never easy, especially when Makoto's feelings had yet to reach Ren. She had been meaning to tell him, but she never found the courage to do so. Now a month later all she can think about is "What if I did?"Written for Makoto Niijima's Birthday! Happy Birthday Queen!
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Niijima Makoto, Kurusu Akira/Niijima Makoto, Niijima Makoto/Persona 5 Protagonist, Sakamoto Ryuji/Takamaki Ann (teased)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 52





	Surprises Are Best Kept A Secret

**Author's Note:**

> I took a little break from writing Shumako because of other various projects that I'm working on, but I still wanted to write something for the Queen's birthday! And with Royal out and about, my passion for Shumako has been reignited!
> 
> That being said I do have one other Shumako fic in the planning stages, but it'll probably be awhile given the nature of school and those other projects I mentioned! But as soon as I can experience the new content in Royal, I'll be back with more! And yes this is a few days early I'm aware, but because of what I mentioned above my schedule wouldn't have allowed me to post during the actual day.
> 
> Anyway, I've said enough. Hope you enjoy it!

Makoto wasn't able to sleep, and her mind kept drifting off into some corner thinking only of Ren. She wondered what he was doing back in his hometown. It had only been a few weeks since she last saw him, yet his sudden departure proved to be more emotionally taxing on her than she had expected. She was very happy that his probation had been lifted and that he was able to clear his record, but ever since he left, the lingering feeling of regret plagued her all the same. What made it worse was the fact that over the months she had gotten to know him, she had developed feelings for the ex-leader of the phantom thieves. However, her lack of knowledge on the matters of love had completely outmatched her. She had tried repeatedly over the last six months, but every single time she would end up hesitating for far too long and the chance would fly past her. She also didn't like the idea of being rejected by him, the only person who had made her feel special apart from her late father.

She vividly remembered all of their _study_ sessions together in Leblanc. Truth be told they were nothing more than an excuse to get to see each other. Sure they would get _some_ studying in, but it would often become a small conversation between the two with knuckles brushing past each other, or the occasional flirt or two. It certainly didn't help that she consistently became a red flustered mess any time Ren would tease her or call her his queen whenever he served her a cup of coffee at Leblanc. And even though they had "dated," it was never the real thing, it was simply a way to help out with Eiko's situation. Nothing came of it, though the more and more she thought about it, the more she realized that Ren had made his attempt to confess the day they saved Eiko.

 _"I'll be your study partner,"_ he had told her.

Makoto remembered seeing the nervous look on his face when he uttered those words. She had never seen him in such a state, yet at the same time, she couldn't process what he had meant by it at the time. No, the truth was she thought he was joking. It didn't matter how much her heart fluttered inside her chest, her lack of courage still proved to be more powerful that day. And every day after that, it had become increasingly awkward between the two. Their study sessions became less frequent, and Ren didn't attempt to flirt with her the same way he had been doing before that day. She did find some comfort in that they never truly stopped talking to one another, but it wasn't the same, she couldn't help but feel stupid now that he was gone.

"Idiot." She muttered into her pillow. A part of her just wanted to scream out-loud and vent her frustrations out into the void. Unfortunately, she just couldn't do that, or she would have to deal with her groggy older sister in the middle of the night. An experience she would rather not have to go through. Even so, she was annoyed, she was supposed to be the honor's student Makoto Niijima, she should have known better.

"Eiko was right, I did flunk a test of love…"

There wasn't anything else to do, but to move on she figured. It was the only way to get over him, now that he wasn't within reach. And then as if to tease her, her phone suddenly began to vibrate, alerting her to a phone call. She looked at the display name, and it read Ren. Her heart suddenly began to beat wildly against her chest. She hesitated to answer, not because she didn't want to talk to him, but she was just unsure of what he wanted at this hour. 

Before she knew it, she had unconsciously swiped right on the green button and the line quickly connected the two of them. A small silence fell on the line at first before she heard Ren clear his throat.

"Makoto? I'm not bothering you am I?"

"H-huh? No, of course, you're not! Sorry, I'm just surprised to hear from you this late at night."

"Oh sorry about that, I just couldn't sleep and I needed someone to talk to," he said nervously. "I take it you weren't able to sleep either?"

"What makes you say that?" she said unassumingly. Why she had decided to tease him then and there, after not hearing from him in over a month was well beyond her mind. Not only was it weird, but she knew he could easily turn the tables on her if he so wanted to. Then again it was late at night, so maybe he didn't have the brainpower necessary to do it right?

Nope, he did it anyway.

"Well, I just figured since you didn't sound as groggy as you did when you would wake up after a study session at Leblanc."

"That's um-!" She became a flustered mess, her cheeks became a bright red color. She was thankful he couldn't see her reaction otherwise she would have probably died from the embarrassment. 

Ren, meanwhile, laughed softly on his end from her reaction alone. He had missed being able to do that to her, regardless of the awkward tension that had built up around them. All he could think about was how much he had missed the sound of her voice. Though he knew where they stood, so pushing it any further could complicate things again. He waited a little while before speaking back into the phone.

"Anyway, I've been thinking."

"Oh! What is it?" she asked, as she had finally managed to calm down.

"I want to go visit soon, but I don't want to let the rest know just yet."

"Why's that, Ren?"

"Well… This might sound a bit awkward, but I was hoping to get to see you first for a bit."

"M-me?!"

"Yeah or is that a bad thing?" he said with a tinge of regret in his voice.

"N-no! It's fine! I'm just wondering why me out of everyone else?"

"I-I just thought it would be better if the leader and the strategist of the phantom thieves got together it would go smoother…?"

Makoto chuckled at the thought. It was true that they were often the ones to organize the group for just about anything. If they wouldn't fall in line with Ren's gentle commanding voice, then it would fall to her to glare at them with her menacing crimson eyes. She didn't mean to be the scary one of the team, but sometimes the other's antics would drive her up a wall. Though that was neither here nor there, after all, the phantom thieves had ceased to be since December. Right now, it was time for a reunion and the thought of getting to see Ren again made her happier than she was willing to admit to him.

"Makoto? You still there?" Ren asked, pulling Makoto out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh! Yes, I'm still here. Sorry I just got excited at the thought of all of us getting together again."

"Oh yeah, of course."

"Anyway? When were you wanting to visit?" 

"Hmm. How about on Sunday, the 23rd?"

"Okay perfect. Sunday it is." She said in a warm relaxed voice. "Anyway, I'm feeling a little tired now, I'll talk to you later, Ren."

"Yeah, see you Makoto."

The call ended, and Makoto could still feel the rapid pace of her heartbeat. She was going to see Ren again in a week, and while she was mostly excited, a part of her remained nervous. Sure it was a reunion of all her friends, but he had mentioned something about wanting to see her first before the rest of the group. Maybe she was overthinking it, but she was hoping this was her chance to fix her mistake. The chance to tell him how she truly felt about him. Though for now that would have to wait, after all, a week remained, she had plenty of time to think about it. Her eyes suddenly began to feel heavy, and bit by bit she slipped into a restful slumber. 

Meanwhile, in Ren's room, he was eagerly texting Ann and Ryuji in their private chat.

 **Ren:** She said yes.

 **Ann:** Yes! I knew you could it Ren!

 **Ryuji:** Way to go man! So when's the meet-up?

 **Ren:** The 23rd. Basically, her birthday, though either she wasn't paying attention to the date or she forgot somehow. Anyway, the plans are still set, right?

 **Ryuji:** You know it, dude!

 **Ann:** Ya know, I probably would have done the same thing if it was me talking to someone. Love sure messes with you when you least expect it.

 **Ryuji:** F-for real? I mean… yeah, that totally happens, haha…

 **Ren:** I'm not so sure she likes me back Ann, remember what I told you before?

 **Ann:** Yeah, but you'd be surprised how often a girl like Makoto can confuse a confession for a joke. So don't lose hope!

 **Ryuji:** Yeah man what Ann said! You got this!

 **Ren:** Yeah you're probably right, thanks, guys. Night.

Ren turned off the small device and turned in shortly after. He still harbored feelings for Makoto, even after the initial rejection, Ann had helped him gain the confidence to try again. He had everything going for him right now, he could only hope he wouldn't botch it when the time came to confess again.

* * *

A week came and went in an instant. Makoto being punctual as always meant that she had arrived twenty minutes early to the station to pick up Ren. Granted maybe showing up so early was a bit overkill, but always showing up early never hurt in the grand scheme of things. Regardless, it reminded her of the time she had invited Ren to go see "Like A Dragon." She was thirty minutes early that day, and a part of her thought it was weird for her to enjoy those types of movies, let alone show up early for them. But Ren had done reassured her that her likes were completely normal and even encouraged her to invite him on more outings if it meant getting to spend time with her.

Now that she looked back on it, that was probably another sign that he had taken an interest in her. But before she could begin to scrutinize herself for being so oblivious, the speakers had announced the arrival of Ren's Train. She eagerly got up from where she sat and went to the doors of the approaching vehicle. As the train came to a full stop, the doors slid open and behind them, a familiar mop of frizzy black hair appeared in front of Makoto.

"Makoto?" Ren looked at her with a face full of surprise.

"Yep. It's me, I'm here early, haha," she began awkwardly.

"I just wasn't expecting you to be here so suddenly."

"I arrived a few minutes early, I was just excited to see you that's all," a faint hint of pink dust settled across her face.

"E-excited? I-I mean, yeah of course… I, u-um"

An awkward silence fell between the two as they both were blushing from each other's presence. Ren tried his best to clear his throat before he turned to speak to her again, but Makoto had quickly beaten him to it.

"Y-you look nice. That white blazer suits you a lot a-actually."

"O-oh, this? It's just some regular old clothes, but… um, you look nice as well."

"R-right, well shall we get going?" Makoto's voice sounded like a small plea.

Ren nodded, but a part of him only felt like kicking himself for making the situation more awkward than what it already was. He was already botching his "perfect" set-up of a date… _"No, calm down. It's alright just mention the others, for now, you'll be fine."_ He took a deep breath and followed Makoto out of the station and into the peaceful streets of Yongen. 

"So what about the other's, will they be coming soon?" Ren asked.

"I told them to meet us outside of Leblanc, they should be waiting there," she answered quickly.

"I see. Well, we shouldn't keep them waiting right? We should hurry there."

"Yes, you're right…"

Makoto could hear how her mind screamed at her for not taking the initiative back at the station. This wasn't what she was imagining the night of their call. But she couldn't blame Ren for not being as forward, given how guarded she had come off. She could only hope that he wasn't losing interest in her already, that is if he had any left, to begin with. 

Before she could think about it longer they had arrived at the entrance of Leblanc. To Makoto's surprise, the others hadn't arrived yet. She had made sure to tell them that today was the day, yet not one of them seemed to be in sight. She began to feel a bit of anger build up inside of her because she imagined Ren was upset that his friends had forgotten all about today.

Ren could see her shaking angrily, but he quickly placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, I'm not mad, they're probably just running late. Come on, let's go inside and wait for them."

"But Ren! I told them to be here, this is your special day, you came back to us and they're not here…" she cast her head down as tears threatened to run down her face. 

Ren quickly comforted her and held her in place. "Look, I promise you it's okay, let's just go inside. Besides, it isn't my special day, it's your's Makoto."

"W-what?" she asked in total surprise.

"Follow me." Ren twisted the door handle and opened the entrance to the small cafe. He took Makoto by the hand and led her in. She noticed the lights were off, which she found entirely to be strange. 

"Ren, what's going?"

"Just look," he slowly raised his arm. "Everyone!"

"SURPRISE!" Poppers went off and the lights in the cafe came on. Everyone had come out of their hiding spots and greeted both Makoto and Ren.

Makoto was still confused as to what was going on, why would they all yell surprise if they all knew Ren was coming back? It didn't make sense she thought.

"You're overthinking again aren't you?" Ren asked.

Makoto only looked at him more confused than before.

"Makoto did you really forget? It's your birthday!" Ren said. 

It suddenly hit Makoto. She burst out laughing as small tears of joy formed at the edge of her eyes. She had been so caught up in celebrating Ren's return that she had forgotten her birthday. It was quite unbecoming of her, but it only made the surprise that much sweeter. Ren had planned his return around her birthday, and maybe she was assuming too much, but the way he was looking at her told her that she had indeed figured it out.

"We'll leave you two alone for now," Ann said.

"Alright, everyone let's go wait outside," Sojiro called to the former thieves.

By the time everyone had left the cafe, Makoto and Ren were standing close to each other face to face. She looked directly in his greyish eyes, as he stared back into her crimson ones. 

"You did all of this on purpose didn't you?" Makoto said with a content smile.

"I may have done the preparations necessary to celebrate a Queen, yes." He teased.

"I see… but then why did you do it?" Makoto knew the question to be a bit redundant, but she had to know for herself that she wasn't just imagining things. 

"Makoto, when I said I wanted to be your study partner, I meant it. I-I like you, a lot." Ren finally confessed.

Makoto felt herself become lighter at hearing his confession. Even so, the guilt still plagued her, and she felt the need to make this right. "Ren, I'm so sorry, for being so oblivious that day. I-I like you a lot too, actually I've always wanted to tell you, but then I almost lost you twice and I just didn't have the courage to tell you after that."

"It's okay. At least now we both know right?"

"Yeah."

Makoto and Ren stared at each other a while longer before they slowly began to inch closer to one another before they sealed their distance with a kiss. It was slow and gentle, but so many feelings were communicated in the short while that it lasted. Feelings of embarrassment and all the mishaps came through, yet the same feelings of love and equal respect overpowered those in an instant. They were finally together with no metaverse nor otherworldly powers to stop them. And even though it took so long for them to finally admit each other's feelings, in the end, it was worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and feedback (constructive) are greatly appreciated.
> 
> Admittedly, I do feel a bit out of touch with these two, so if at any point it didn't sound like them, that's most likely why. But even so, I had a lot of fun writing this one and I think it turned out fairly okay given what I was going for.
> 
> Well, I've kept you all here long enough, hope you have a good day/night and remember to stay safe!


End file.
